Chasing Life‘s holiday special (Dec. 9 at 9/8c on ABC Family) may not technically take place in December — it’s more of a Christmas-in-May kind of thing — but as you’ll see, that’s not making the cast’s spirits any less bright.

TVLine has an exclusive behind-the-scenes video from the festive shoot — take note of Italia Ricci‘s super-fancy hair — in which the stars reveal their personal holiday traditions. (Spoiler alert: Ricci’s kind of a Christmas nut.)

So, what can fans expect from Chasing Life‘s Christmas special? Let’s check in with executive producer Patrick Sean Smith for the scoop:

“When April realizes that she’s starting to lose her hair, the family decides to throw her a Christmas, which is her favorite holiday, while she’s still in the hospital and starting to struggle with this loss,” Smith tells TVLine.